Jason Bourne, 2016.
Directed by Paul Greengrass.
Starring Matt Damon, Alicia Vikander, Tommy Lee Jones, Vincent Cassel, Julia Stiles and Riz Ahmed.
SYNOPSIS:
The most dangerous former operative of the CIA is drawn out of hiding to uncover hidden truths about his past.
To say that I love the original Bourne trilogy is a massive understatement. Each film is perfect from start to finish. We start with the amnesia paranoia of The Bourne Identity, the revenge saga of Supremacy and then the crescendo with Ultimatum. It’s a perfect sequence of films packed with great story, phenomenal action sequences and more conspiracy theories then you can shake a stick at. Whilst the fifth instalment in the franchise (after the forgettable Bourne Legacy), offers more of the same in terms of action and style, it doesn’t deliver on the same level as the previous entries.
Nine years after his leap from the top of the CIA building and his swim to new pastures, Jason Bourne is living a nomadic life in Greece as a backstreet fighter. He’s silent, lost and not the assured former agent that we’re used to seeing. Over in Iceland, former CIA Agent Nicky Parsons (Stiles – brilliant but underused) is hacking into the CIA’s files and discovers something about Bourne’s past and the Treadstone project. After making contact with him, Bourne sets off on another mission to find out the truth about his recruitment into the CIA.
The plot is a bit thin on the ground this time around and whilst Bourne’s silence has always been a strong part of his character, in this instalment he seems to just not have much to say about any of it. We’re re-treading the plot of the initial films only without the mystery of who Jason Bourne really is and who is the man behind the curtain. We know from the moment the film begins who the big bad is and the various twists that play are out are obvious and underwhelming.
Matt Damon’s return as Bourne is a welcome one. He’s an action superstar in these films and it’s good to see him back on screen again. Although he doesn’t seem as engaged as previous outings, he commits to the action scenes with gusto and his sparring with CIA Agent Heather Lee (Vikander) is entertaining. Vikander is given a great role and seems to enjoy playing both the good and bad side of her character. Her motives are not entirely clear which makes her complex and interesting to watch. However, her accent is all over the place and I still do not know whether she was supposed to be American, Irish, English or what? Tommy Lee Jones is at his gruffest as CIA Director Robert Dewey and his performance is nothing to write home about. Vincent Cassel’s edition to the cast is the highlight of Jason Bourne. He fits seamlessly into this world and each scene he’s in is a delight to watch. He’s given more of a backstory than any other “asset” has before and it adds to his character and makes his motivations all the more interesting to watch.
The Bourne Trilogy changed the way action movies are filmed and the kinetic direction of Paul Greengrass is perfect in every way. There are three major action set pieces in the film, the finale is a car chase/crash/hand to hand fight throughout the streets of Las Vegas and it is simply sublime to watch. The Bourne style has been mimicked so much that it’s great to see the Master take back the reins of his style and deliver some of the best action we’ve seen all year.
Whilst Jason Bourne is an entertaining action film, it pales in comparison to its predecessors. Is it entertaining? Yes. Is it a worthy addition to the franchise? No. The door has been left open for further sequels, I only hope that next time they come up with a better plot to make this character shine again.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Helen Murdoch
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Originally published August 1, 2016. Updated April 15, 2018.
